The OV-1 Mohawk Was One Of The U.S. Military’s First Forgotten Light Attack Planes | The Drive

As the U.S. Air Force continues to stumble through its latest attempt to procure a light attack aircraft, it is important to remember just how often the U.S. military as a whole has waffled, dithered, and squabbled over the concept in the past. The U.S. Army’s OV-1 Mohawk, which did have a lengthy career as a surveillance aircraft, is one of the earliest examples of competing priorities and infighting between services killing plans for what could have also been an effective light attack platform.

By the time the Grumman-made aircraft, also known as the G-134, first flew in 1959, the Mohawk program had already been something of a saga for nearly three years. Originally the Army had teamed up with the U.S. Marine Corps to work on a plane to replace the small Cessna O-1 Bird Dog observation plane that both services were still flying at the time.